Big On Bantams

Two men crowing unabashedly about their pets

Although their backgrounds are vastly different, Payung Khipsanguan and Aree Rodsiri share a common interest, and both of them have now undertaken the role of beauty trainer and groomer. Every day, the two 51-year-old men train a group of feathered adolescents that regularly compete in the many annual beauty pageants held almost everywhere at different times of the year. Their efforts and labour of love pay off handsomely as many of their “trained beauty queens” tend to sweep the awards at beauty contest after beauty contest. However, if they fail to beat their competitors, the lovelies do not upset their owners in the least. “My bantams are my pride and joy, and I really and truly love them,” declared Mr Payung. “After I had been keeping bantams for a long while, some of my friends encouraged me to enter my pets in beauty contests, and now I really enjoy doing that because I can see other beautiful bantams and, at the same time, get to know fellow bantam devotees,” added Mr Aree. While Uncle Payung is fascinated by Thai bantams, Uncle Aree has an eye for the foreign breed widely known as kai jae sakol. Both connoisseurs have their own reasons when it comes to their choice of ideal feathered friends. “Thai bantams come in a wide range of colours; there are about 12 shades and tones. Besides, their body is proportionate. On top of that, they look like adorable dolls. When they strut about, they look so cute,” said Mr Payung. “I like the colours black, white and gold, and I can find these three colours in foreign strains.

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Tourists warned of Thailand airport scam

Bangkok’s showcase new international airport is no stranger to controversy.

Built between 2002 and 2006, under the governments of then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the opening date was repeatedly delayed. It has been dogged by allegations of corruption, as well as criticism of the design and poor quality of construction. Then, at the end of last year, the airport was shut down for a week after being occupied by anti-government protesters. Now new allegations have been made that a number of passengers are being detained every month in the duty free area on suspicion of shoplifting, and then held by the police until they pay large sums of money to buy their freedom.

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Fly to Kota Baru

FIREFLY has just announced new flights from Singapore to Kuala Terengganu, Alor Setar, Kota Baru, Ipoh, Malacca and, I must add, Kuantan. Wow! As a Singaporean, I have no complaints. But this does seem like an overly ambitious plan for Malaysia Airlines’ budget carrier, Firefly, to introduce so many flights out of/and into Singapore all at the same time.

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The Other Silk Road

Archaeological evidence has shown that one of the world’s major maritime trading routes went overland through the south of Thailand in ancient times.

Many people know about the famous Silk Road, the West-to-East and vice versa route taken by Marco Polo and other Western explorers. However, very few people know there was a silk road through the south of Thailand that for centuries served foreign traders who transported goods by sea from the Greek and Roman empires to China and back. “The [Thai silk road] route started from a point on the west coast of Thailand on the shore of the Andaman Sea and ended on a southern shore of the Gulf of Thailand, in Surat Thani. Using this Thung Tuk-Laem Pho (Takua Pa-Ban Don Bay) route, traders did not have to sail along the Straits of Malacca, which was a longer route and full of pirates, to reach the South China Sea,” said Capt Boonyarit Chaisuwan, an archaeologist at the 15th Regional Office of Fine Arts in Phuket. He said in the first century the world’s maritime trading routes, called the world system, linked Eastern Europe and India, Southeast
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Thai Ancient Beads

By Janine Yasovant
Source : http://www.archives.scene4.com

A Voyage of Ancient Beads in Thailand

As a researcher and collector, one of my passions is ancient beads. In private sectors, beads are very famous and are some of the most stunning and varied items of jewelry here. We adore beads like amulets and they have been one of the most popular forms of personal adornment. We have few Thai books regarding the history of ancient beads so I plan to write a book about beads in Southeast Asia especially in Thailand and in other major cultural and geographical regions. I love the way artists make beads as revealing and inspiring symbols of humanity’s cultural and spiritual aspirations. I hope to finish my book within a few years.
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Save The Oceans

The destruction of the world's oceans due to climate change and overuse is a 'life and death issue' for humanity. -- PHOTO: AFP

MANADO (Indonesia) – THE destruction of the world’s oceans due to climate change and overuse is a ‘life and death issue’ for humanity, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Thursday.

‘We must come to the rescue of the oceans. We must save them from the ravages of abuse and over-exploitation by humankind, from the havoc due to pollution and dire effects of climate change,’ Dr Yudhoyono said at a global conference on oceans.
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